


Ars Heretica

by Lucreace



Series: Horus Heresy Stuff [1]
Category: Horus Heresy - Various Authors, Warhammer 40.000
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Freeform, Gossip, Grief, Heresy, Horus Heresy, Original Character(s), Primachs daughters, probably shouldn't have written this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-11-09 01:21:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11093940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucreace/pseuds/Lucreace
Summary: What if the Primarchs had daughters?The story picks up after the beginning events on 63-19 at the end of The Great Crusade.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the part where I say I know this is totally, completely and utterly non canon.   
> It is pure self indulgence.  
> It came about after reading some other fan fictions based around the concept of the Primarchs having daughters and I wanted to explore it myself. I'm throwing it out there so I have a place I know it won't get lost.  
> It probably shouldn't be read, by anyone...

The cold recycled air of the observation deck was no comfort at all. Usually, the sight of the stars offered some semblance of peace in the troubled times humanity faced. Even sat down, reclining in the usual manner was of no comfort at all. The blackness seemed deeper somehow, the stars a little darker in the face of what had occurred. Even the air was thicker, harder to breathe. Never before had this place been somewhere of discomfort, until today that was, today everything had changed.

The news had been more than just a shock, it had taken her ability to stand and for a long moment, as she had been able to do was kneel on the floor where she had fallen. A strong pair of oversized hands had hoisted her back to her feet, she had no idea who they belonged to nor did she care at that point. Her cheeks burned then and blinking, she had fled the audience room. How long he had been dead they did not say, she had not waited to ask questions. The room had become stifling and she no longer wanted to see their distraught faces. Her vision had blurred and she had run.

When she had come back to her senses, she had been in the observatory. She had acquired some tissue from somewhere and used it to wipe her nose and dry her eyes, not that it mattered, the tears kept coming all the same. Even now, her chest clenched and a fresh wave of droplets fell from her eyes. To think that she would never hear that laugh, never see the swagger in his walk as he strode the corridors; never share another moment with him as too much to bear. A sob choked from her and she curled into a ball where she reclined.

Worst thing about the news was that he had not died in valiant combat, as all of his kind hoped they would, but through treachery. Murder most foul had robbed one of her best friends of his life and there was nothing that she could do about it. Not a single thing. Her hands screwed up into fists as another sob was torn from her lips. So caught up in her grief was she that she didn’t realise that she was no longer alone until a presence sat on the edge of the recliner.

“Leave me be!” she said, not looking at the figure.

“You’re grieving.” She instantly recognised the rumbling voice of her father and flung her arms around his waist. Her sobs came in droves, even when his hand soothed her back, she continued. She had no idea how long he clung to him or whether he was speaking to her, however she felt the press on her chest release a fraction and she managed to sit up. There was a rather large wet patch on the centre of his robes and she pressed her lips together. “We’re all grieving,” he said.

She managed to nod, swallowing the lump in her throat. “What will you do?” she managed to say, her voice sounded strange even to her, so choked was it with grief.

“Destroy them,” came the reply. The answer was good enough for her; it was no less than the devious population deserved. For the first time, anger cut through her tears, pulsing through her veins. She gave a curt nod. It was what she had wanted to hear. The iron in her father’s voice spoke volumes, his jaw clenched and she could see that he was struggling to keep it together just as she was. It was a sharp reminder that Hastur Sejanus had been his friend too, not only that but one of his best warriors and advisors too.  

She wondered how the others were coping.

Wiping the last of the tears from her cheeks, she coughed and tried to will the tension from her forehead. Crying always did that to her, made her headachy. She knew her eyes would look blotchy and sore. She was so unlike her cousin Cassia, when she cried she looked eternally beautiful, never like a wreck as she did now.

Her father straightened up then, letting her know the time for comfort had passed. She would have to deal with the rest of her grief on her own. Regardless of their personal feelings, there was still a war to be won and that had to be his focus, it always had to be his focus. He would make a poor leader otherwise. She did her best to understand that however at times like this, when she wanted him to herself, it was hard.

She watched as the Warmaster ran a hand over his face before rising from the divan, his expression stern once more. “See that you’re collected, you need to be at tonight’s reception and it’s best you don’t look too distraught.” She nodded, his words were not unkindly meant, even if they came across a little harsh. “Your cousin will ask questions,” he said.

“I know,” she replied.

“She won’t mean to be unkind Cleo but she will ask.”

She nodded, “I won’t let you down,” she said. He offered her a smile, which she returned. The burning in her chest had receded to an acceptable level and she too rose from the divan.

“Go, get yourself ready, I’ll send someone to fetch you when its time,” he said. The pang that shot through her when she realised it would not be Sejanus was like a punch in the gut. He had always been the one to escort her places, ever since she was a young child. The conversations they’d shared were now nothing more than a treasured memory. She turned and left her father lest he see her eyes filling up once more.

When she had returned to her rooms, she resisted the temptation to fling herself on the bed and drown in tears some more. She had done that and it hadn’t really made that much difference. She could indulge in grief later if she needed to, right now, she had to make sure she appeared every bit the woman she was. There was no way she was going to let her cousins outshine her, not in her own home at the very least.

She was called upon an hour later. The heavy handed knock at the door tore her from her daydream and she rose to answer the request. Cleo was a little surprised to see First Captain Abaddon at the door. She had met him before of course, he was another of her father’s best but his temperament was far from agreeable. It looked as though today was no exception to that.

Even by Astartes standards, he was huge. He looked down at her; his wide spaced, dark eyes were rimmed red. Could it be that he had been crying too? She couldn’t imagine that, no matter how hard she tried. “Are you ready?” His voice was rougher than usual too, yes; it certainly seemed that he was having as much trouble with the news as she was.

She nodded and slipped her little arm through his. The look he gave it was no more disdainful than usual. Hastur had never minded her doing so and for this one occasion, she was sure he would be able to put up with it. The walk to the reception was silent and she was aware that he had to slow his gait so she could keep up. She was by no means short, far from it but it was clear he was used to striding everywhere. There would have been conversation before; they’d have talked about small things, training, mutual friends and the like. She had no idea how to start a conversation with him and she wasn’t sure she really wanted to.

Talk seemed too heavy for the moment but there was something she had to know. She stole a glance up into the hard lines of Abaddon’s face and swallowed, “What is it?” he asked before she had the chance to begin.

“Will you be one of the ones to go?” she asked.

“You already know the answer to that.”

“I need to hear it anyway.”

“I will be one of the ones to go,” he said. The way he spoke, as though his jaw was clenched suggested that there was more to that thought than he was saying.

“When you do,” she began, her hand tightened on his arm as she spoke, “When you do, make them pay,” she said.

“They will be brought to compliance one way or another,” he said. Her eyes narrowed at that, it was not what her father had said earlier on. She hoped there would be time to discuss that later on, however they had arrived and time for such talk had evaporated. She did give Abaddon a nod, which he returned.

Seeing her two cousins brought a small smile to her face and her hand dropped from the First Captain’s arm, something she was sure he was glad about. Cassia and Aurelia were waiting for her, their father’s already in conversation with hers. The first thing Cassia did was hand her a glass of wine, her smile wide, “Cleo!” she said, her greeting warm.

She took a sip of the crisp wine and returned her smile, though she knew it was a wan thing in comparison to her usual cheer. She had yet to master using her emotions as effectively as her father had. “What on Terra is it?” Cassia asked. Aurelia had at least the decency to lay her hand on her cousin’s shoulder.

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” she said. Cleo smiled wider then, glad for the reprieve.

“How are my two favourite cousins?” she asked.

She took a look at Cassia, dressed in the purple of her legion. She was the spit of her father, her features well rounded, her wide eyes a slight shade darker than that of her sire. She was long limbed, willowy almost but there was an iron inside her that was not to be underestimated. Her white hair was piled on top of her head in an elaborate braid and she sipped her wine, “I have no complaint,” she purred.

Her other cousin was far more demure, though also dressed in the colours of her legion. Red suited her pale skin and fair hair and the smile on her face was as pure as snow. She was every bit as lovely as the Angel though she did did not share his mutation. Next to them both, Cleo felt more than a little plain.  “Well cousin, how are you?” Aurelia asked.

She smiled again, “It’s been a long day.”

Cassia gave her a sympathetic smile and laid her delicate hand on her shoulder. “Is your father working you too hard?” she asked.

She shook her head, “No, truth be told I would welcome the distraction of more work to do,” she said. She knew that the other girls were privy to their respective father’s war councils and that they saw to the running of their legions too, at least in some small respect. Although Cleo was getting to grips with some of the more mundane aspects of this, she had never been to one of his councils. She had no idea why he kept her from them, in her mind it was the best place to learn about the art of war.

“Is there no other distraction you can amuse yourself with?” Cassia asked, looking at her over her wineglass. Cleo exchanged a glance with her other cousin and they both sighed.

“Just because you amuse yourself in that way!” Aurelia said. Cleo looked down at the glass in her hand before taking a sip. This had been a bad idea.

“I have more than a few friends within my legion,” Cleo said, the heaviness returning to her chest. “But they’re not always the company I need, I missed seeing you both, and Laura too,” she added.

“Really? She is so sensible though,” Cassia said. “You’d never catch her drinking wine late at night,” she added. Cleo smiled despite herself and felt a little better, even Aurelia laughed at that. The talk soon descended into the latest fashion and other inane subjects that Cleo usually deplored. It was more than a welcome distraction today however; she even agreed to meet them both the following day for more chatter, possibly even some tailoring. Apparently, the grey she wore did nothing for her dark eyes or colouring… Cleo didn’t really know about that, she liked wearing the colour of the Luna Wolves; it made her feel a part of the family.

That made her heart clench again, thinking of the loss that family had taken. Looking down at the drink in her hand, she blinked over and over again, refusing to let the tears fall. She had promised she would keep it together. Aurelia placed her hand on her arm and she looked up, a weak smile on her face.

The moment was shattered when her father called them all to attention. Every face in the room turned to Horus and he shot them all that smile that was so infectious. When he spoke, it was with the skill on an iterator. Cleo would never have been able to guess that he had lost one of his closest friend’s only hours before. She did not know how he did it. There wasn’t even the trace of loss around his eyes.

“Friends,” he said, the warmth in his voice clear to all who heard, “Welcome back, it has been far too long since we last parted. For some of us, it has been long years,” he said. Cleo exchanged a glance with Cassia at that, for them it had been many a long year since they had been together. “The Compliance of 63-19 is just a few days away; soon, we will be moving on to joint ventures.”

Cleo looked at her cousins, that meant they would be around for a while! The company of her cousins was something she always wanted and their presence would be more than welcome. She had no clue as to what the joint venture would be however the idea that 63-19 was near Compliance didn’t ring true to her. Negotiation had failed, resulting in the death of the entire party, surely her father did not intend to try again…

Her eyes met those of the First Captain across the room, he appeared to be grinding his teeth, his eyes narrow, it would seem they felt the same on this matter. Her father had carried on talking, however she no longer listened, she was rather busy watching Abaddon and his reaction. She only became aware that he had stopped talking when Aurelia nudged her.

“What has your attention so fixed?” she asked. She leaned in her head to follow her gaze; Cleo looked away but not before her cousin had seen who she had been starring at. Aurelia raised an eyebrow at her.

“It’s nothing like that,” she sighed.

“Nothing like what?” Cassia asked. Her purple eyes flicked between the two of them. Cleo willed Aurelia not to speak.

“She was staring at the tall one.”

Cassia looked around the room, as though seeing the occupants for the first time. Her eyes narrowed a little and she tilted her head to the side, “Not the one you normally stare at, where is the handsome one?” she asked.

Hearing her dead friend described in such objective terms sent a pang through her. She set aside her empty glass. Her jaw squared, her eyes narrowed and she let out a snort, “Hastur Sejanus,” she said.

“What was that?”

“He was called Hastur Sejanus.”

Cassia shrugged and she knew she would get no understanding from her cousin in this regard. “Well, where is he?” she asked.

“He’s dead,” she replied.

“Oh… Well, I suppose that is one of the hazards of war.” Cassia said. Aurelia’s hand patted her arm intending to soothe but she jerked her hand away. The callous response sparked her ire more than anything but she had no wish to argue with her cousin, especially when she had promised she would keep it together. It looked as though Cassia was about to speak again when Aurelia elbowed her sharply. A withering look escaped the purple dressed beauty but silence fell once more. Cleo found her thoughts towards her cousin turn unsavoury, they all knew of her thirst for the forbidden company of her father’s legion; she was more than a little open about it, at least with them.

Cleo ran a hand over her face and let out a tired sigh. Her eyes ached from the crying earlier and her headache was slowly returning too. She had stayed long enough so as not to appear rude and she thought it was time to retire. Getting to her feet, she bade her cousin’s farewell. She managed to slip away without being seen by anyone important; the last thing she wanted was another encounter with-

“I’ll escort you back.” Abaddon seized her hand and placed it on his arm.

“You don’t have to,” she said. She knew her cousins would see this exchange and think something was going on.

“I do,” he replied. He shot a look to her father and she understood. She consented and they left the room. The moment she was out of sight, she sagged, leaning against him more than she initially intended. He bore her weight with ease. Once again, she found that there were plenty of things she wanted to say to him but had no idea how to initiate the conversation. “We drop in tomorrow morning with Maloghurst.” His words were abrupt, “We’re to negotiate, or try,” he added.

Her jaw clenched at that, “That was not what my father told me.”

“It’s not what I counselled either.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asked. It was the most words she had exchanged with Abaddon since they had met many years before. She had always thought that he saw her as little more than a nuisance.

“Sejanus was your friend too,” was all he said on the matter. She screwed her eyes shut then to prevent more tears from falling. The rest of the walk happened in an easier silence. When they reached her door, she pressed her lips together and turned her dark eyes to the face of the tall captain.

“Thank you,” she said. He gave her a nod.

“Is there anything else?” he asked.

“Just…” she paused, knowing he would think her silly for speaking, she said it anyway, “Be careful tomorrow.” She wasn’t sure she saw it but the ghost of a smile twitched at one corner of his stern mouth. It was gone the moment it appeared. The last thing she wanted was to lose more friends. With that, she opened the doors to her quarters. Abaddon saw her inside before leaving her to her thoughts once more. Of course, they turned to her lost friend and she gave in to the grief once more. She curled up on the bed, hugged the pillow and eventually fell into a restless, exhausted sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

He had tried, Emperor knew he had tried! He ran a hand over his scalp and let out a deep sigh. If her mother had still been alive this would have been a lot easier. His brothers all seemed to be coping alright with their wards, why was he having so much trouble? A Battle Barge was no place for a child to be raised, he had voiced his protests many years before and it seemed that now he was being proved right after all.

He had tried to shield her from the hardships and realities, kept her from the war council despite the will of her grandfather but to no avail. The small tasks she did do were menial, he knew that and she was more than capable. She would be asking questions, especially now her cousins were here… Of course he was more than glad to see his brothers, it had been far too long since they had last spoken.

Then there was the disaster that had robbed him of one of his favourite sons. The sting of loss had not lessened since he had learned of it and the argument he’d had with his First Captain over their next course of action had been fierce. Abaddon had been in favour of unleashing the full fury of the legion over it and he was loathe to admit it but part of him wanted that. Tactically however, he wanted to try and reach an accord with these people rather than opt for obliteration. They had argued for hours. Eventually, he had told Abaddon that he was blinded by grief and that diplomacy was to be given another chance. The First Captain had snarled at that but hadn’t denied it either. Tarik had stepped in and Abaddon had ended up storming off. Horus did not have that luxury.

Sejanus would be sorely missed, he was the most even tempered man he had ever met and his advice during wartime had been valuable. His combat record had been impeccable too. He would have been able to simmer Abaddon’s temper down too. He would need replacing. His Mournival was a man short and that would not do. Horus knew he needed the four of them to see things from all angles, often seeing what he did not and thinking how he didn’t. Together they had been a formidable team…

The idea of replacing Sejanus turned his stomach.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at the pile of paperwork on the desk he was sat at. Another problem inherited along with the title of Warmaster – bureaucracy. What right had the Lords of Terra to demand things of him, while he was out here winning the universe back under the wings of the Imperium. His thoughts were wrenched from the heavy task of paperwork by a soft knock on the door.

He smiled when Sanguinus walked in. “Brother,” he smiled. The Angel ducked through the doorway and sat opposite him. Pouring both a glass of wine, he handed one to Horus, which he gladly took. “Fulgrim not with you?” he asked.

“No, he is speaking with Cassia.” Horus raised an eyebrow, “The girl is rather free with her affections, I believe he is telling her to keep to herself while among your legion,” he explained.

“Probably wise, we’re not nearly as refined as she is used to,” Horus replied a little dryly.

“Yet brutally effective.”

“That they are, they know their roles well.”

“Entertaining the girls is not one of them?” Sanguinius asked.

“No,” he said with a shake of his head. Sanguinius leaned back in his chair and gave his brother an appraising look.

“Then who are they supposed to socialise with? We cannot be together so much that their cousins are enough,” he said.

Horus placed his hands behind his head, “I don’t mind friendships,” he said. He paused, “It would be so much easier if her mother was here to guide her,” he sighed, “How am I supposed to know what to do with her in that regard?” he asked. “It was easy for us, we were just assigned mates. She has to…” He trailed off, not wanting to even think about his daughter doing… _that_. Sanguinius smiled at his thoughts and shook his head.

“I sometimes think that Roboute had the right idea with Roxshana,” he said.

“Not to have a child?”

“Hmm, they enjoy each other-“

“In the dullest way possible.”

“Uncharitable Horus,” Sanguinius said, “And honestly, does it really matter? He is happy.”

“And you’re not?”

“I’d not swap Aurelia for the world,” the angel replied.

Horus took a huge mouthful of wine and a smile graced his face, lighting it up. “I miss Licinia, she was a worthy companion but never think I don’t love Cleo,” he said. “I’d do anything to save her from the heartache we both went through.”

“I don’t think you can,” Sanguinius said. Horus nodded and drained his glass, considering his brother’s words.

“Perhaps not, I fear her heart weighs heavy at the moment,” he said.

“You’ve lost one of your captains haven’t you?” Horus nodded and proceeded to tell him about the treachery and the events leading up to it too. The tell-tale prick behind his eyes had him slam his mouth shut and look away. The intensity of the wave that crashed over him curled his fist up and he slammed it down on the table. The sympathetic look from his brother did nothing to stop it.

“Yet we must continue, I must find a replacement for poor Sejanus and move forward.”

“As soon as this nastiness on 63-19 is done, we can move from it.”

Horus smiled again and placed his glass down. “Indeed we can,” he agreed.

 

***

It turned into another war, just as she had hoped it would. Cleo, as was usual was kept as far away from the fighting as physically possible. She wasn’t confined to her room as such but it was close enough. Her cousins had returned to their respective vessels after further negotiations had failed, awaiting the conclusion of the war. She had seen nothing of her friends and she knew the legion was busy, besides she wasn’t supposed to go there…

Pacing had soon lost its appeal and there was no new reading material around either. Her father had left her no tasks to complete so she was at the mercy of her boredom. Deciding that she had seen enough of the inside of her room, she reasoned that maybe a walk would dispel the restlessness flowing through her.

She wandered aimlessly for a long time, the halls she usually walked devoid of life. The _Vengeful Spirit_ was huge however and she knew there would be life on the lower decks. There were plenty of remembrancers on board and she knew she could find one of them to talk to, except their concerns were not her concerns. They tended to want to get her to speak about her father and after the fourth time of that happening, it had become boring.

She found herself heading to the arming deck anyway, only four of the companies were getting ready and she saw no harm in watching them do so. It beat watching the inside of her room at any rate. It wasn’t as if she was going to get in the way, she could watch from the balcony above it.

Cleo was more than a little surprised by what she saw when she got there. It looked as though her father was going with them! Not that he wasn’t capable of doing so, far from it. From her vantage point she could also make out the captains of the other companies making sure everything was in order. Abaddon’s topknot was easy to spot; besides, he was taller than nearly everyone else. She could also see Aximand, his shaven head also easy to spot among the crowd. Torggadon was double checking a bolt gun and the other captain, Loken was it? He seemed to be in conversation with one of the sergeants in his unit. She knew the first three; they had been her father’s advisors for a long time now. Loken she had only seen from a distance.

She watched the coming and going of the servitors and menials as they readied the legion for war. The noise was almost deafening but she endured it. She was pondering how they all stood for it when a large hand clamped her shoulder and she jumped. “You’re supposed to be on the upper decks!”

“Terra’s breath!” she hissed, her heart thudding in her chest. She looked up into the familiar face of Abaddon and shook her head, “How did you manage to move so quietly?” she said, more to herself than him. The hand on her shoulder was hot and her eyes flicked up to his.

“Will you go back quietly?” he asked, ignoring her question.

She placed her smaller hand over his, “I’ll not make you carry me,” she said. Those days were long behind her and he looked a little relieved at that, “On one condition,” she added.

“Name it,” he said.

“You must promise to tell me about it when you get back,” she said.

“Are you a remembrancer now?” he snorted.

“Ezekyle!” she said with a shake of her head. She took the choleric captain’s hands in hers and turned to face him, her expression serious. “I want to go down there too, go down there and beat the life out of those that took Hastur from us. I can’t do that. I’m stuck up here impotent and unable to do anything with the anger I feel. Promise me you’ll act on my behalf as well as your own and tell me about it when you come back,” she said.

“I promise,” he said, his deep voice gruff, as though such words were not easily spoken. She tiptoed up then and kissed his cheek. His jaw tensed at the contact but he made no comment. She let go of his hands and turned to go, keeping her side of the bargain. She returned to her quarters and picked up one of her old books. There was nothing else to do now but wait after all, she may as well pass it reading.

***

The legions returned victorious as she had expected them to. Casualties were moderate on their side but the enemy forces had been decimated. Her father stood proudly with the legions, laughing in a way she had not seen for some time. Perhaps getting out there and muddying his hands really was good. She supposed she would never know.

He spotted her waiting for them and he walked over, his smile wide. The four captains were with him and she noted the easy companionship between them all. It was hard to miss, a bond wrought in battle and then renewed brought a smile to her face. Despite her wanting to know, she knew now was not the time to pester Abaddon for an explanation. Although they’d cleaned down and removed their armour, it was clear there was some things they needed to discuss.

“Cleo, you remember Loken?” Horus said as he led them all to the council room.

Her eyes flicked to the younger captain and she nodded. There was something different about him, something she could not quite put her finger on. It appeared that he had not quite got over the fact that Horus knew his name; he walked quietly alongside Tarik, who was his usual cheerful self.

“Vaguely,” she said, aware she should say something.

“Well, the luck of this one would astound you! He fights well and you’ll appreciate the insight of him too,” Horus said. Loken appeared to be colouring under such high praise. That was when it hit her; he looked nothing like her father! His hair was light blonde; his face was pale offering a smattering of freckles over features that could only be described as craggy. His eyes were a grey storm. The blood of Cthonia still ran through him it seemed and it was good to look at someone who did not resemble her dad. She offered him a smile, it was returned with the barest twitch of his lips.

“Will we be seeing much more of you?” she asked politely.

“He’s joining the Mournival,” Horus replied. That came as a bit of a shock. She had not expected her father to find a replacement quite so quickly. Had he already forgotten about Hastur? She brushed the question aside as they all settled down. Her eyes met Abaddon’s and he gave her a nod, a confirmation that they’d meet later.

“Does he speak?” she asked. Torgaddon laughed at that and a smile broke onto her face once more.

“What Garvi? No, never!” Horus shot Tarik a warning look and he shrugged.

“I speak well enough,” Loken said, looking at her. She supposed he might be feeling somewhat overwhelmed and that was understandable. She gave a polite smile and nodded. He would never replace Hastur in her eyes and she would be damned if she was going to let him! The talk turned to more mundane affairs and she did her best to listen. What she really wanted to do was hear about how the enemy was crushed but that could wait until later on when Abaddon fulfilled his promise to her.

***

The promise was fulfilled the next day. Cleo had been lounging around the observation deck looking over some of the files her father had asked her to when she heard heavy footsteps approaching. She looked up and saw the large form of the First Captain approaching. He was not particularly attractive; his perpetual scowl stole away any softness from his face and his dark colouring was more imposing than anything else. Still, he was powerful and an exceptional warrior, even when dressed in simple combat fatigues he was imposing. Cleo smiled at him and he took the seat next to her.

Barely able to contain her excitement, she kept her eyes on his and she was a little surprised when he returned the smile, “Are you alright?” she asked. He nodded. “Tell me everything,” she sad when he made no motion to speak.

“It was bloody, brutal,” he said.

“What happened?”

“There were many of them, I had second take the low town, fifth had the regency and tenth with me,” he said. She kept her eyes on his, hearing his every word. “There was heavy fighting in all areas, many of the enemy died, particularly the Invisibles, those responsible for Hastur’s death.” On hearing those words, her smile widened, “There are none of them left,” Abaddon confirmed. That was what she had wanted to hear.

“And their Emperor?” she snorted.

“I wasn’t there to see it; you’ll have to talk to Loken who saw the whole thing. The Warmaster shot him through the head,” he said. She nodded, though the idea of speaking to Loken was not altogether tasteful. She let out a small sigh and tried to rid herself of the heavy feeling in her chest. It didn’t fade with the knowledge that the enemy was dead, however her anger had lessened.

“Thank you,” she said. Abaddon looked at her again then, his dark eyes questioning.

“What for?”

“Keeping your word,” she replied. Cleo pressed her lips together before getting up from where she was sitting and moving to perch on the arm of the chair he was sitting upon. He didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s nothing,” he said looking up at her. She slipped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. His hands rested lightly on her back, enduring the contact. He smelled good and although she knew she should, she did not want to pull away. Her heart beat a little faster as his arms tightened, her hand rising to rest on the vast expanse of his chest.

He let out a cough and she shifted back into a sitting position, feeling her cheeks flush. She had not intended to stay there as long as she had. “Sorry,” she muttered before returning to her seat again. He seemed to relax a little now she had moved away. He dismissed the apology with a shake of his head and got to his feet.

“You should speak to Loken,” he said. She nodded despite her misgivings.

“I will,” he said. He left her there then, surrounded by the work she should have been doing. She watched him go with a small sigh, finding herself alone once more. Picking up one of the dataslates, she resumed her work once more; she would find Loken later.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a couple of days later that Cleo decided that seeking out Loken was a good idea. She had spent the last two days dealing with administration issues that should never have been a problem and she needed to talk to someone, anyone! Her cousins were still on their respective flagships, leaving her little choice about who she sought company with. This was where she missed Sejanus, he would have been more than happy to speak to her. The pain of his passing had not eased and she found herself growing resentful as she walked through the corridors of the _Vengeful Spirit_.

As she approached the door of Loken’s personal arming chamber, she heard voices. She recognised his for the low rumble it was, the other was a female voice. Unusual… Cleo wondered whether it would be wise to leave them to it, certainly standing at the door listening was rude. Yet she didn’t want to walk back through the ship to her painfully empty quarters, nor did she have a reason to seek out Abaddon for nothing more than a conversation. She doubted he would be glad to see her and she did not wish to make him uncomfortable with her presence.

Cleo decided that she was not going to be turned away from her mission by a mortal woman. She stuck her head around the door and coughed a little. Both of them looked up and she gave them a guilty smile, “I don’t mean to intrude…” she said.

Loken was sat polishing one of his shoulder plates, the scent of lapping filled the air. Opposite him was a slender woman with ebony skin and a rather odd looking elongated head. Her dark eyes focused on her feet rather than her face and she wondered what the matter was. Loken put the cloth in his hand down, he was dressed in simple fatigues and she was once again struck by how unlike her father he looked. “What can I do for you?” he asked, his voice formal.

She scooted into the room and took a seat opposite the captain, “I hope I am not interrupting?” she asked, “Who is your friend?”

“Mersedie Oliton, remembrancer,” she said before bowing low. Her cheeks flushed a bright red at that and she shook her head.

“Don’t, please,” she said. The woman stood up then. Cleo patted the space next to her and the woman sat down. “I came to ask you something,” she said. That seemed to surprise the captain so she pressed on, “About 63-19…”

“Did Tarik send you?” he asked.

She shook her head, “No,” she replied, “Actually it was Captain Abaddon,” she added. It felt a bit strange with the other woman in the room. “He was telling me what happened down there but suggested I come to you for the full story,” she explained.

“I see,” he said. There was a pause. He picked up the cloth once more and rubbed some of the powder onto a spot. For a long moment, Cleo thought he wasn’t going to say anything. That was until she realised he was thinking about what to say, “I was about to tell the story to Mersedie,” he said softly.

She listened expectantly as the fair haired warrior before her began to speak. She did not need to turn her head to know that Mersedie was as rapt in her attention as she was. “I was there the day Horus killed the Emperor…”

When Loken finished his tale, Cleo was completely satisfied that those who had murdered her friend had been vanquished. The silence filled the room for a long moment as she considered what had been said. The Luna Wolves had won another victory, another world had been brought to compliance and they had every right to feel smug about that, so why was she left feeling so hollow inside.

“Thank you captain Loken,” Mersedie said when it became clear that Cleo wasn’t going to say anything first. She nodded instead, not sure how she was feeling. She didn’t want to like Hastur’s replacement however there was nothing he had done to cause dislike.

“I feel you have helped avenge our lost friend,” she said, her voice far softer than she had intended, “For your part in that, I thank you,” she added. There was a softening of the lines around his eyes when she mentioned Sejanus and he nodded.

“We’re all going to miss him,” Loken said. She wrapped her arms around herself and refused to give in to the prickling at the back of her eyes. She managed a nod before getting to her feet once more. She had been away long enough, there was work that needed to be done.

“Thank you again,” she said. She didn’t wait for a response before leaving, not trusting herself to keep her emotions in check any longer.

***

A few days later, her office room door crashed open and her two cousins burst into the room. She smiled the moment she saw them, rushing to hug them both. Both of them were dressed as if they were going outside somewhere and she frowned at their attire. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked.

Aurelia laughed and nodded, “Down to the city of course,” she said. Cleo’s eyes widened a little, she had no idea that such an excursion was to take place. Her father had not mentioned it, indeed she had not seen him since that morning, he had been cooped up with his brothers discussing something of vital importance.

“Will you come with us?” Cassia asked, her large purple eyes pleading almost. Cleo laid down her stylus and nodded.

“Who is taking us?” she asked.

“Lucius,” Cassia replied. Cleo could recall the young captain from an earlier encounter, finding him to be a good speaker and from what she had heard a competent swordsman too.

“Vitus is with me,” Aurelia said. Cleo had never met him, though she supposed he must be trusted if she was with him. She picked up the large cloak her father had had made for her and threw it over her shoulders.

“I’ll have to find someone to come with me,” she said. The other girls nodded, the last thing she wanted was to annoy her father by going unaccompanied to the surface of the planet. Problem was, he was hidden away in one of the meetings she had not been invited to. Disturbing him was not really an option either, she just needed to find someone she could take with her and leave a message. The note she wrote quickly before turning to her cousins. “Alright, this’ll be enough for father, just need to find someone,” she said.

“Make it the tall one from the other night,” Cassia giggled, “The one you were eyeing,” she added as if that made a difference.

“He’ll be busy,” she said with a shake of her head.

“Even for the afternoon?” Cassia asked.

“Yes,” she nodded. Besides, she was a little afraid to bother the First Captain for something as frivolous as a visit to the city. She was sure he would see it as pointless, a distraction away from his duties and nothing more. That was all it would be anyway.

“That’s a real shame, if we find him I’ll ask anyway,” Cassia said. Cleo rolled her eyes and dearly hoped that they’d not run into Abaddon as they searched for someone. The tickle in the bottom of her stomach at the thought was not easily pushed aside.

“Come on!” Aurelia said, “We’re wasting time.”

She grabbed the note then and headed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Cleo had a rough idea where she would be able to find at least one of the captains so led her two cousins in that direction. It did not take long. Unfortunately, it was the one she had been trying to avoid. Her cousin was striding up to him before she could stop her and she rolled her eyes. Abaddon was a striking figure in mark IV but it didn’t seem to bother Cassia. Purple eyes looked up at him through lowered lashes and he nodded respectfully.

“Aah,” she said with a warm smile, “There you are!”

“What is it?” he asked flatly.

“We were wondering… Cleo needs someone to escort her down to the planet for the afternoon and thought you would be able to do so,” she explained. Cleo watched as the First Captain’s eyes narrowed and her heart sank. His dark eyes found hers and she tried to smile.

“You’re too busy right?” she asked. “We can go find someone else to help…”

“You know you’re not supposed to leave the ship,” he said.

“Ezekyle, the girls are going, what could possibly happen to me down there?” she asked. He folded his arms over his broad chest and snorted, “Especially if you’re there with me?” she added. He shook his head.

“You’re not leaving,” he said. His tone brokered no argument but she wasn’t about to back down.

“Yes, I am. You can either come with me or I’ll find someone who will,” she said. Behind her, Aurelia squeaked.

“You’re not leaving,” he repeated.

“You can’t stop me,” she said. “Come on, we’ll find someone else,” she said as she turned around. She managed to take three strides before large hands hoisted her up into the air. Before she knew it, she was looking at the corridor she had just walked down, “HEY!” she yelled. Both her cousins were laughing until Abaddon glared at them both.

“Get out of here,” he snapped.

“EZEKYLE! Put me down!”

He made no attempt to talk about what he was doing; he simply strode down the corridor heading towards her rooms. She struck his armoured back to no avail, her fury rising within her. He kicked the door open, shattering the lock and dumped her onto the floor. She landed on her bum and turned her furious face up to him. On her feet moments later, she shoved him with both hands. He didn’t move, “What the hell is wrong with you?” she hissed.

He looked down at her, the traces of a smirk around his lips; he was enjoying this! “Your father charged me with keeping you safe, your safest here where I can keep an eye on you,” he replied. Her fists bunched at her sides and she snarled at him.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean-“

“You’ll stay here until he says otherwise,” he said.

“So I’m confined to my room? How dare you!” She drew her fist back and aimed at his face. He caught her hand in his much larger one and shook his head in warning.

“I’d not, I can hit a lot harder than you,” he said. The gleam in his eye said he would do so as well. Taking a deep breath, she forced her arms back down to her sides and she let out a sigh.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like? Being stuck up here? I never get to go anywhere, I am so bored being the only one who never leaves,” she said after a moment, “At least Hastur spoke to me about what was going on,” she huffed. She folded her arms and plonked herself down on the chair. He regarded her for a moment and she could see the lack of understanding on his face. She sighed in defeat. “Are you going to guard the door?” she sneered.

“Do I need to?”

“Yes,” she replied. “You move from that door and I am gone!” she replied. If she was going to be confined to her rooms, he was going to have to make sure she stayed there. She could almost hear him roll his eyes as he headed to the door. He shut it behind him and she sank into the chair on which she was sat, glowering at the door. He wasn’t even going to bother talking to her while she was stuck there.

Deep down, she knew he was doing the duty he had been assigned by her father; if anyone was to blame it was him. She resolved that as soon as he was out of the meeting, she would seek him out and tell him exactly how she felt about the situation. Her cousins got to do these things, what was so wrong with her doing them too? She was not liberal with her affections like Cassia was, indeed she had shown no favour in that regard to any of the warriors in her father’s legion – at his request. Her and Sejanus had been nothing more than friends, exchanging nothing more than an affectionate hug now and then when the occasion called for it. Nor was she as prone to breaking rules. She knew she was bored; the _Vengeful Spirit_ was a vast ship but the grey walls seemed to close in after a while and she had been on-board for so very long without a break. Even her father had been down to the surface of the planet.

She boxed her anger up and resumed some of the administration tasks that she had been given. It was about an hour later that she stood up and stretched. She opened the door and found Ezekyle still standing there. He looked down when the door opened and gave her a nod. “What is it?” he asked.

She sucked in a breath before her eyes met his again, “Look, Ezekyle, I am bored out my wits in here, I’ve completed the tasks I had and I need to get out of here before I go completely mad,” she said.

“We’re not going to the planet,” he said firmly.

“I know, you’re here to protect me and it’s not your fault my father is being over protective, that is between him and I,” she explained, “However I cannot stay in here forever.” She looked the large captain up and down and shrugged, “Don’t you have training to do?” she asked.

“Do you want to watch?” he said.

“I’d be happy to do so,” she replied – anything to get out of her rooms for a while. Abaddon gave her a look for a moment, as if that was not what he expected her to say, before nodding. He then turned and led her out of the room, Cleo followed more than willingly, pleased to be out of there!

It did not take long to reach the training deck. When they arrived, it was busier than she thought it would be. There were Astartes engaged in all manner of activities. Some were in the practice cages – large sections of the floor were dedicated to these cages. Some fought servitors, others sparred with each other. She noticed the familiar face of Tarik Torgaddon sat at one of the tables; he appeared to be pulling apart his bolter. She couldn’t see Loken anywhere. Some of the others she knew by name, though she had not socialised with them all that much.

She dropped onto the table opposite Tarik and watched what he was doing. He didn’t look up to begin with, instead just focused on cleaning the weapon that had saved his life countless times over. It amazed her how such large hands could be so nimble. It was fascinating to watch. “Surely you have better things to do that watch me do this?” he said as he slipped the firing spring back into place.

“Actually, no,” she said shaking her head. He looked up then, dark eyes warm and she smiled back, “Can you show me how to do that?” she asked.

“It’s quite boring really,” he said, “Surely watching the fights is more interesting.” Cleo shook her head.

“I’ve been watching sparring for as long as I can remember, ow if it were duels then maybe,” she added. Tarik shot her a grin at that before returning his focus back to the bolt gun. Instead of continuing in silence however, he began explaining to her which part went where. She listened, rapt as he went through the whole process. She was about to ask about a small part which seemed to have been neglected when the door opened. A hush fell over the floor and she looked up to see her father standing in the doorway. Her gaze darkened. His eyes scanned the room and she stood up. He gestured for her to come over. Her back straight, she stalked up to him, “It’s alright father,” she hissed, “You don’t need your lap dog to carry me this time.” She heard Abaddon’s snarl at the words, ignored him and left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

 

She followed her father into the room he referred to as his study, glaring at his back the entire way there. His presence reminded her that she was as much a prisoner as the legion serfs were and she resented that. They were freer, they could seek companionship with whomever they wanted at least. She had never felt so out of place, so trapped… She shut the door behind her, not too gently and folded her arms over her chest. “What do you want?” she asked. She never spoke to him so curtly before but she felt he deserved it.

Horus blinked at her, apparently oblivious to her indignation. “I wanted to speak to you about the work I had left you but I can see that’s not on your mind,” he said. “What is it?” he asked, gesturing for her to sit. Cleo remained standing.

“Have you not heard?” she said. He shook his head, “My cousins came by today, they were going to the capital and wanted to know if I could go with them. Instead of just going, I looked for someone to come with me. You were in a meeting and had asked not to be disturbed so I couldn’t ask. I found Abaddon. Not only did he say no, he then threw me over his shoulder, dumped me in my room and guarded the door! In front of my cousins, with no more dignity than if I was a sack of food!” She knew her cheeks were coloured but she could no more stop that than the words flowing from her mouth. “I have never felt so humiliated! I am not a child anymore… Do you not trust me? Have I not followed your instructions carefully?” she asked. She finally flung herself into the chair opposite her father’s large desk and waited for his answer.

“Abaddon’s reaction was a touch excessive,” he said carefully.

“I get it,” she snapped, “I need someone with me to make sure nothing happens, I can even, almost understand keeping me up here despite everything being fine down there, almost but I am not a child anymore! Being here all the time is so dull,” she said. He held up his hand and she stopped talking.

“You’re lonely,” he said.

“What?” she replied.

“You’re lonely,” he repeated. “I know you and Hastur were very close, perhaps I should have done more to stop the development of that relationship b-“

“We never did anything but talk,” she interrupted.

“I loved Hastur as much as you, I miss him keenly but I could have shielded you from that loss. The legions are creatures of war, never forget that.” he said.

“Then who would I speak to? Would you have me locked in my room not speaking to anyone? I cannot live like that!”

He let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face. “Ezekyle is perhaps not the best target for friendship Cleo, he has an angry disposition and a lust for fighting that not many match.”

“He threatened to hit me,” she muttered, agreeing with him on that. “I went to hit him first!” she added when her father’s face darkened. “I was so angry at being confined like that…”

“I would be too, how about I arrange for Loken to take you to the surface?” he said. “I doubt you’ll want to spend any more time with Abaddon after today.”

“Hastur’s replacement?” she said. He nodded. She pressed her lips together, not really wanting to spend time with the one who replaced her friend. She knew compromise when she saw one however and so she nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with Loken,” she said. The young captain’s company wasn’t so bad anyway, he told an interesting story and he would know what to show her. She knew her father would give him very strict instructions about where they could and could not go. It was a relative freedom however and she would take that over being stuck on the ship.

“I also think it is about time you joined some of the meetings on the War Council,” he said. Her head snapped up at that and a smile began to bloom on her face, “Some of the meetings get pretty heated and I may ask you to leave them at short notice, however you’re old enough to join them and get something from them.”

She got to her feet then and threw her arms around her father’s neck, showing him how his words had made her feel rather than saying anything. He chuckled; a deep rumbling sound and placed an arm around her waist, “I thought you would like that,” he said. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and nodded. Maybe now she wouldn’t be so bored.

“Thank you,” she said. He patted her back and she took a step away, a smile on her face still.

“Maybe you should wait until after the first few before thanking me,” he said. “Now, run along, I have a lot to do before the next meeting and I need some time to do it!” She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the childish statement; instead, she turned and left her father by himself – something that rarely happened.

***

Loken had called for her a few hours later. Although she had not expected him to be there so soon, she was more than a little pleased to see him. It meant exploration, adventure and a chance to get out. She had dressed simply that morning, in the legion combat fatigues and a loose top. She flung her grey jacket over her shoulders; one that her cousin would say did nothing for her colouring, and nodded to the silent captain.

Half an hour later, they had landed on the planet surface. Cleo took her first deep breath of unrecycled air in as long as she could remember. Nothing had tasted sweeter. She took a while just to savour it before she even bothered to look around. When she did, she saw a once beautiful city torn apart by war. There was not a single piece of the palace in which they stood that did not have some damage to it, whether it was the blackened marks of an explosion or the pock marks of bolter fire.

Part of her was saddened by the destruction; this had once been a beautiful place, now it was forever spoiled by their presence. Even after the damage had been repaired there would still be cracks. She looked at the large warrior by her side and for the first time, a shudder passed through her. It must have been terrifying for them, seeing the heavily armed Astartes pound through their city. Then she recalled they had killed and the thought evaporated. “Where do you want to go?” Loken asked.

“Show me the city,” she said. He gave a nod and gestured for her to follow him. She pressed her lips together before scooting after him. She wondered whether it would be appropriate to link her arm through his. Deciding against it, she merely matched his stride and walked in silence. She took in their surroundings as they walked, first the imperial palace, then the lower part of the city. There was as much destruction here as there had been in the higher parts. It would have been more interesting with the chatter of her cousins.

“Have you seen the city?” she asked.

He shook his head, “You’ve heard my story already,” he said.

They passed a bar where some of the guard that were attached to their legion appeared to be passing the time. Their laughter soon died when they spotted them however and so she pressed on. Graffiti covered the walls and they frequently passed craters too. “What do you think?” she asked.

“I’m not sure what to think,” he said.

“Come on Captain, you have to think something,” she said.

“It’s broken,” he said as they walked down a narrow street. The houses they passed were shells, fire long since consuming what they had left behind. His comment rang true, the city was half destroyed and from what she could see, the residents were not taking their presence well. They had submitted on the surface but that did not mean their hearts were now singing the praises of the Imperium. The captain at her side made her feel safe however and there were plenty of Imperial Guard around in case anything happened.

Before they had a chance to see any more of the city, there was a huge explosion up ahead. Cleo flinched and pressed herself against the blackened wall of a building. Her heart thudded in her chest. Shouts rang through the air. Something was pressed into her hands and it took a moment to register that it was a knife, a large combat knife. The expression on Loken’s face was utterly serious and she took the blade, “Do you know how to use it?”

“Stick them with the sharp end?” she replied. His expression didn’t waver and she nodded again, “I know the basics,” she said. He jerked his head then and they crept to the end of the narrow street. Smoke was billowing into the causeway, a hive of people were rushing away from the scene, some of them bleeding. The guardsmen were pouring to the site of the explosion, eager to find out the cause of the blast. “Do you need to go too?” Cleo asked. Loken was one of the senior members of the Legion and as such, would be looked to for instruction. There was a look of indecision on his face for a moment. “I can make my own way back, you go!” she said. She would be able to explain to her father what had happened, if there was a need for it.

“Don’t get lost,” he said. “Your father will kill me.”

There was another explosion and her eyes widened, “Go!” she shoved his breastplate with a light hand, “I have this!” she added, clutching the knife. They both turned at the same time, heading in opposite directions. She walked quickly, not wanting to be caught up in a conflict she was ill prepared for. The sound of gunfire echoed through the street, she quickened her stride. Her hand gripped the hilt of her knife, turning her knuckles white. A glance over her shoulder told her she was making good progress. When she turned back, she thudded into someone. The impact sent her sprawling to the floor.

“Well, well, what have we got here?” a harsh voice purred. She looked up, eyes narrow.

“Looks like one of the Imperium’s bitches,” said the man next to the one she had ran in to. Both of them had an ill-conceived look about them and she knew they were both natives to the planet. Her fingers closed around the hilt of the knife a little tighter. “Bring her, she might fetch a decent price.”

“Don’t you touch me,” she spat. One of them stepped forward, made a move to grab her by the ponytail. Cleo brought the knife up, slashing at his arm. She caught a couple of his fingers and they flew off, splattering her face with blood. He screamed. He lunged for her. Cleo protected her face with her free hand, screwed her eyes shut and slashed with the knife once more. She felt resistance. The scream cut off. Warm sticky liquid gushed over her hand. Opening her eyes, she saw the damage done; the insides of the man were no longer inside. She swallowed back the rising bile in her throat and looked at the other would be assailant. “Still keen on fetching that price?” she barked with a bravado she did not feel. His eyes flicked to the dying man on the floor, she took a step forward. He backed off, disappearing from the mouth of the street.

Cleo let out a sigh of relief and her grip on the knife hilt relaxed. She would have to thank Loken for it later on. Her shoulders sagged and she slumped against the wall of the building. Running a hand over her face, she realised then that she was covered in blood. She swallowed; her throat dry. There was no way she could stay here, but going out into the other street seemed a bad idea too. What if there were more men that way? What if that other one had gone for back up? She blinked, shook her head and took a step forward.

In her daze, she was unaware of being called. She didn’t stop walking until a hand fell on her shoulder. Starting, she brought the knife up. It was plucked from her grasp by an expert hand. “Loken!” she gasped.

“What happened to you?” he asked. She looked at the captain and noticed he too was no longer pristine.

“Might say the same to you,” she muttered, “I had to kill someone,” she blurted out. Loken’s grey eyes widened at that, “They tried to take me away, sell me or something,” she said.

“Your father is going to kill me,” he said.

“He’ll never know!” she said rapidly, “If he finds out about this, I’ll be stuck on the _Vengeful Spirit_ forever,” she added. “This was supposed to be a harmless walk around!”

“I don’t like secrets,” Loken said.

“Nor do I but I don’t want either of us to get into trouble, despite my best efforts to think otherwise, I quite like you,” she admitted.

“What do you mean?” he asked. She could hear the confusion in his tone and found it rather endearing.

“I didn’t want to like you Loken, I saw you as Hastur’s replacement and that stung. A reminder of his absence if you will…”

“I see,” he said. She placed a shaking hand on his forearm.

“I don’t think that anymore. I don’t want you getting into trouble because you had to deal with something important and I certainly don’t want to be put into a position where I am never allowed out again,” she explained. “I think this is something father doesn’t need to know about,” she added, hoping that he would see her point of view. The pause that followed seemed to last forever.

He nodded.

“You promise?” she asked.

“I promise,” he said. Unable to prevent it, she stretched up and pressed a kiss to his warm cheek.

“Thank you,” she whispered. His features lifted into a smile then and she was warmed by how it transformed his features. It was the first time she noticed that he was rather pleasant to look at. The smile she willingly returned, “We should probably head back,” she murmured.

“Had enough adventure for one day?” he asked.

“I never killed anyone before,” she replied. It was then she became aware of how much her body was shaking and she stopped walking. It might not seem like a big deal to him, he was raised in the hives of Cthonia, killing was second nature to him even before the Luna Wolves recruited him. Most of her life had been spent aboard the battle barge or in the Imperial Palace on Terra. She did not know how to feel. “I want to get this blood off me,” she whispered. His hand gripped her shoulder then, squeezing lightly. If he had not been wearing power armour, she would have hugged him.

“It’s not far to the transport,” he said. His voice was softer than it had been before, something she was glad for. Keeping her hand on his arm, she let him lead her back to the awaiting transport.


	5. Chapter 5

She had killed someone. The thought did not leave Cleo as she washed the blood off into the shower. They had returned and made it back to her rooms without incident, and Loken had left her to clean up. The cool water had been more than welcome and she had scrubbed her skin and hair until it was red. She still did not feel clean. Perhaps she should have been better prepared for this, she was surrounded by warriors, she had been raised by one of the greatest leaders in the Imperium, how could she be so affected by something they did so easily?

Was it this that her father had been protecting her from? She shuddered as she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself up in a huge towel. Had he been doing her a service after all? She didn’t have the answers, the only one who did would surely skin her alive if they found out what she had done. Her father could never know, no one could, not her cousins, no one! As she sat on the end of her bed and dried herself off, she hoped that Loken would keep her secret. He had sworn he would do so and she had no reason to doubt it. Her father’s warriors took their oaths very seriously after all.

There was a light knock on her door.

Cleo rolled her eyes, not really in the mood for visitors. She pulled the towel around her a little tighter and sighed, “Come in,” she said. The door cracked open and Cassia poked her perfect head around the door.

“Can I come in?” she asked. Before Cleo could answer otherwise, her cousin pushed into the room, a smile on her face. “How was it?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Your little trip?” Cassia shut the door behind her and sat herself down on one of her chairs. “Tell me all about it,” she said. Her high pitched voice did nothing to calm Cleo’s nerves, finding it grating more than anything else.

“Uneventful,” she said, “We looked around, saw some of the local sites and then came back again,” she lied. “I found it to be rather a nice place, if not for all the holes we’ve put in it,” she said.

“There has to be more to it than that, did you go into the low city?” she asked. Her interest appeared to be elsewhere however as Cassia began to play with the brush that was on her desk. Cleo pulled the towel closer around her and nodded anyway.

“There was not much of interest down there really. It was all broken and dirty,” she added. “And the locals left a lot to be desired I thought.” Cassia snapped her head up, a small smile on her face. One of her eyebrows lifted and Cleo already knew what she was going to ask. “There is nothing going on between myself and Loken so don’t ask. She pouted.

“When are you going to realise they have more uses than that of a warrior?” Cassia said. “It really is a lot of fun you know! You can borrow Lucius if you like.”

Cleo’s eyes widened as the very thought and she shook her head, “Just because I am not so free with my affections doesn’t mean I want to be!” The idea didn’t shock her, she’d sometimes wondered what it would be like to be with one of them in the way that her father had been with her mother but it wasn’t something she had dwelled upon. She’d been far more interested in her books and learning the arts of war to really notice, aside from a passing fancy. Besides, a lot of them looked like her father! Her thoughts flashed to Loken for a moment.

“But you’re thinking about someone now,” Cassia said. Cleo blinked, her thoughts brought sharply back to the moment. “Oh come on, don’t be so boring! Tell me!”

“Cassia, it really is nothing,” she said with a shake of her head. Her cousin raised her eyebrow and Cleo sighed, “I’m allowed to come along to the war council,” she said, changing the subject abruptly. She didn’t want to think about Loken and how her mind had fled to him at the first opportunity – it was because they had a shared secret that was all!

“How exciting,” Cassia said, though her tone said that she found that idea anything but. “You’ll soon find them a tiresome thing,” she added.

“I don’t think so, I’ve read all that material father gave me twice over and I find the whole thing fascinating,” Cleo replied. She got up from the bed and crossed over to her dresser. Pulling out what she needed, she absently listened to her cousin begin to prattle on about how she would tire of listening to their father’s waging war, how there were far more interesting pursuits for them to undertake and that she should focus her efforts elsewhere. Cleo stepped behind the screen along one wall of the room and began dressing. When she emerged, her cousin blinked.

“Do you ever think about what you look like? You could look amazing if you wore something other than the fatigues of your legion!” she exclaimed. Cleo turned to face her cousin with a small smile about her face, the first she had worn since she had arrived.

“I have far too much to do to worry about that, besides; I’m heading down to the decks. I need to ask something of Loken,” she said, not aware she had intended to do so until she spoke. She reached behind her cousin and picked up a band. Tying back her long dark hair so it was in a loose bun, she nodded, “Do you want to come with me?” she asked. “It’ll be a chance for you to look at some of the warriors too,” she added when her cousin gave her a sceptical look.

“Is the tall one who carried you off going to be there?”

“I hope not!” she snorted. He was the last person she wanted to speak to at the moment. It might seem a bit petty but she had not forgiven him for that humiliation yet.

“That’s a shame,” Cassia said, carrying on as though unaware of her ire. “It wasn’t all that bad was it? Being carried off like that must have sparked something! It would if it were me!” Cleo rolled her eyes at that and headed for the door. She should likely warn her cousin about Ezekyle’s fearsome temper and bellicose attitude, then again, maybe not. If she wanted to play with that particular torch, maybe she deserved the burn!

Cassia got up from her dressing table and followed her into the cool of the corridors. The walk to the company’s deck was a substantial one and before long, Cassia was asking if they could find a transport. Cleo shook her head, it wasn’t as if they would get tired from it that easily and the walk was doing a bit to clear her head of what had happened. They reached the correct deck after ten minutes of moderate walking. Cleo looked at her cousin and smiled, “See, it’s not so bad,” she said

“I hate walking,” she said with a shake of her head.

Cleo pushed the door to the second company’s training room open; a host of activity lay within. She stepped into the room and her cousin followed, shutting the door behind her. The strange smell of Astartes sweat hit her, though she did not find it unpleasant. There were a number of them in the training rings, some with servitors, some with each other. She couldn’t see Loken among them however, though he might well be in his own rooms. Tarik was there, coaching some of the warriors in the cages. She walked over to where Tarik was instructing and waited for him to finish what he was doing before speaking. She knew he had a job to do and that had to come first.

When he looked up, he offered her an affable smile and nodded, “Something wrong?” he asked.

“I’m looking for Captain Loken,” she replied. The smile on Tarik’s face altered a little when she said that but she chose to ignore it. He could think what he wanted!

“He’s not here, I’ve not seen him since you went off,” he replied. Without thought, she felt her brow pucker into a frown. That was odd. He said he was coming straight back here after they had parted ways. She looked over at Cassia, who was already indulging in watching the fight in the practice cage and shook her head. “Anything I can help you with?” he asked. She opened her mouth to speak again when the door to the training room banged open.

In strode the First Captain and Cleo rolled her eyes. Their eyes met and he wagged his finger for her to come over. She did so, the last thing she wanted was to be carried off once more. “What is it?” she asked curtly.

“Your father wants to speak with you,” he said. Her stomach clenched at that and she nodded. She did manage to smile at Tarik before she turned and walked for the door.

“Will you be alright here?” she asked her cousin as she passed. Cassia looked between her and Abaddon before nodding that she would.

Leaving he cousin where she was, she strode past Abaddon and into the corridor, ignoring him as she made her way to her father’s rooms once more. Her mind was busy churning over what this might be about, too much to notice that Abaddon had fallen in step beside her and was talking to her. When there was a pause, she blinked. “Where you talking to me?” she asked. There was a snort.

“Ezekyle, I’m too angry with you to really want to speak to you so can we just walk in silence?” she said. He looked at her a little blankly. Could it be that he didn’t understand why she was angry? Fine! If that was the case, she would leave him to figure it out on his own. The walk was a silent one, as she had requested. When she reached her father’s rooms, she let herself in and gave Abaddon no second thought.

The moment she saw the splattered off white of Loken’s ceramite armour, she knew what this was about. He had promised! She tried to catch his eye before she looked at her father but he seemed to have found an interesting patch on the floor instead. The door slammed behind her and she jumped. “I think you owe me an explanation,” Horus said. He was leaned on the desk, his weight on his elbows and his hands steepled in front of him

“About what?” she asked.

“Don’t even try to play innocent with me,” he rumbled. She knew then that she was speaking to her Primarch and not her father.

“While we were down there, something kicked off, I have no idea what. There was an explosion and a lot of shouting,” she said. She went on to explain how she had sent Loken away to assist despite his protesting. How he had given her his combat knife and done as she insisted. Horus pressed her for details of what came afterwards and she spared him none, even how she had stabbed someone. There was a look of pride in his eyes for a brief moment before he continued listening. When she had finished speaking, he remained silent for a long while, weighing what she had said.

The silence extended and she knew that she would never be able to see another planet again. The danger had been very real, she had seen the look in his eyes when she had described how she had killed the man. His fists had clenched and she had dropped her gaze to the floor as she spoke, not wanting to see his disappointment.

“I had hoped to shield you from such things for as long as possible,” he said. “As you’re fond of telling me, you are no longer a child. If you’re going to insist on going to dangerous places, you’re going to have to learn how to defend yourself.” She look up at his words, they were not what she had expected.

“I was going to ask Loken to do that,” she muttered under her breath. Loken gave her a sidelong look. Horus fixed them both with a gaze.

“I’m not sure-“ Loken said.

“Do it,” Horus said, effectively cutting him off. Cleo looked at Loken, the beginnings of a smile tugging at her lips. Loken gave a nod. She resisted the urge to go and hug her father, in his current frame of mind, she assumed he’d not appreciate it. Besides, Loken was there and he had always insisted that displays of affection were strictly between them, not in front of the troops. “Start with hand to hand, follow that up with firing,” he said.

The smile grew on her face then; she was going to get to do the things she had been thinking out for ages. She turned to leave, hearing Loken following behind her. The door shut and they walked along for a moment in silence. She wasn’t sure what to say to him. Eventually, she had to ask, “How did he find out?” Her tone was not unkind, more curious.

“I told him,” Loken said. “The insurgencies are becoming a problem; that wasn’t the first attack. I had to,” he added.

Cleo nodded, “I understand,” she said slowly. “Those people down there need to be taught that the Imperial Truth is the only truth, harshly if need be,” she said. Loken nodded with her as she spoke.

“You want to know how to fight?” he said, changing the subject. She nodded. “Right, back to the arming room then and we’ll get that done.” She fell in step beside him, eager to get started.


	6. Chapter 6

It might not have been quite so bad if her cousin hadn’t been watching. She was all too aware of her eyes, too aware of how close Loken was standing to her as he corrected her stance. Her cheeks flushed as his hands rested lightly on her hips, showing her basic movements. The giggles Cassia made did not help. When Cleo shot her a warning look, she noticed how close she had moved to Ezekyle. The First Captain didn’t seem to mind overly much and they appeared to be enjoying the show together.

Blocking out their noise, she tried hard to focus on what Loken was saying. She could feel his breath on the back of her neck, her skin prickled and she swallowed, her throat dry. He was so close she could smell the peculiar scent of his skin. Her heart thudded in her chest and she attended to his words. He guided her through the basics, showing her effective ways to wield the knife in her hand. Loken explained that instead of a tool, it should be an extension of her body. She understood his words, though making them effective was going to take some time and practice.

By the time the session came to a close, Cleo had sweat running into her eyes and her breathing was laboured. Loken had backed away and watched from the edge of the training cage. He’d given her corrections on the drills he knew. She ran a hand over her forehead before flicking sweat onto the floor. There was a smile on her face however and although her arms felt as though they were burning, she had enjoyed their session. Cassia looked up from the conversation she was having with Ezekyle and smiled at her. There was a sparkle in her eyes that had not been there before. Cleo’s heart sank as she realised what was happening.

She dismissed them. Cassia could handle herself well enough as far as she was concerned. Loken caught her attention and everything else fled her mind. There was a light smile playing at the corner of his mouth and she found something similar happening to her too, “Showers are that way,” he said. She shook her head.

“I’m not using those communal things you have,” she said with a good natured laugh. He seemed to realise what he had suggested and she watched with delight as a reddish tint spread over his pale features.

“I didn’t mean-“

“It’s alright,” she said, not wanting to embarrass him too much, “I’ll head back to my rooms anyway,” she added. Ezekyle looked up when she mentioned that and she shook her head, “I can find my own way around, besides you seem to be occupied with my cousin,” she said. He didn’t say anything to her, just returned his attention to the conversation he had been having.

“I can walk you back,” Loken said. She found that she liked that idea and so she nodded.

“Aright,” she nodded. Loken crossed over to the door and opened it up, allowing her to scoot through. She didn’t feel bad at all for leaving her cousin with Ezekyle, they seemed to be fine together and she knew her way around.

She relaxed once more the moment they were out of the training room and in the corridor. The weight of her cousin’s eyes was no longer upon her and she felt less foolish. Shooting a sidelong glance at the captain, her eyes met his and he hastily turned away, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Her teeth caught her lower lip and she turned her eyes back to the corridor in which they walked. She swallowed, not too sure what to say. It seemed as though every subject sounded stupid in her head and she didn’t want to make a fool of herself, which was ridiculous, they had spoken several times before and it had always been easy!

“When can we do this again?” she asked eventually, more to fill the silence that had descended than anything else.

“We should make this a daily routine,” he replied. She smiled at that; she would get to see him on a daily basis… for practice, which was just as important!

She nodded, “I agree, shall we say the same time tomorrow?”

“Yes,” he said. Silence fell once more. She clasped her hands behind her back as they walked; wondering what might be going through his head. Was this task a burden for him? Did he want to do this or was it merely because her father had told him to? She didn’t feel confident in asking him directly so she kept quiet. She did sneak the occasional look up at him when she felt he wasn’t looking. For some unknown reason, she wanted to tangle her fingers in the mass of sandy hair on his head.

They reached her room door all too soon. She opened it up a little hesitantly before turning back to Loken. Her hand came to rest on his forearm and she offered him a warm smile, “Thank you for today,” she said. Her eyes met his rain grey ones and the smile was returned.

“You’re welcome,” he said after a long moment. She stood, transfixed, exploring the grey of Loken’s eyes. The depths she found there were captivating, as though they were drawing her in.

“I should get going,” he said, his voice far softer than it had been before. His gaze flicked away and although she really didn’t want him to, she nodded.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she replied, nodding again. Her mouth had dried up somehow and she swallowed. He turned to leave then and she resisted the urge to call him back. She didn’t have a reason to and he had other duties to attend to besides her! Leaning on the doorframe, she watched him leave. When he was out of sight, she turned into her room with a soft sigh. Her pulse seemed to have increased while he had been there and she found her knees felt a bit odd too. Shaking her head, she grabbed a towel and headed for the shower, she needed to get cleaned up!

***

Cleo had been sat at her desk reading through some reports for an hour or so when there was a faint tap on her door. Looking up, she called for whomever it was to enter. She was a little surprised to see Aurelia step lightly into the room. “I was expecting Cassia,” she said with a light smile, “I’m pleased to see you though,” she added. There was another figure moving behind Aurelia and Cleo looked passed her slender cousin to see another familiar face.

“Melita?” she asked. There was a slight incline of the other’s head. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see if you were well,” the girl replied. Melita was the youngest of them all, though no less grown; it always surprised Cleo to see her as a woman rather than a young child. She was slender still, narrow hipped and flat chested. Her eyes never appeared lustrous, though she supposed that was what happened when you grew up on Barbarus. The toxic air of the planet had to take its toll somewhere.

She did have a winsome personality however and her kindness was well known among the legions already, “I’m rather surprised to see you,” Cleo said, “Come in both of you,” she said. Her cousins entered the room and they soon began talking.

It turned out that the joint venture between the three legions had turned into four and that Melita would be there to stay for some time as well. Cleo was more than happy to have her down to earth cousin with them; she hoped it might temper Cassia’s more wilful ways. The two of them did not get on that well together, however Cleo could only be hopeful; besides, she had her training to think about as well as the other matters her father was now going to include her in. She found her thoughts drifting back to a pair of steel grey eyes as the others spoke. It took her a moment to dismiss them and return her focus to what was happening in her room. 

“I am to be married,” Melita said all of a sudden.

That brought Cleo’s attention to the conversation.

“Married?” she asked.

Melita nodded.

“Who to?” Aurelia asked. Her blonde cousin had become a little misty eyed at the prospect and it was clear she was eager to hear all about it.

“My father has dictated that I am to marry Nathaniel Garro, Captain of the seventh company,” she said. Her tone was not the thrilled one Cleo would have expected and she tilted her head.

“What’s wrong with that?” she asked. Perhaps it was a little blunt of her to ask but there was something about the way she spoke that made her want to dig a little deeper.

“Cleo!” Aurelia said. She raised her eyebrows and shrugged a little.

“Nathaniel is a good man,” she said slowly. She ran a hand over her mousy blonde hair and let out a small sigh

“But…”

“He is a fearsome warrior and a fine specimen, I mean, he is handsome and all that but,” she shook her head, “He is not my choice.”

“Is that the problem?” Aurelia asked. Melita nodded.

“I want to make my own choice, not have it thrust upon me. I’ve never done anything that has really upset him, other than things in childhood. I don’t understand why he is doing this,” she said.

“Who would you choose instead?” Cleo asked. She wondered whether her cousin had managed to land her affections elsewhere within the legion and not had the courage to inform her father yet.

“I don’t know,” she replied with a shake of her head. “I’d have thought I would have some time to think about it,” she said, “It was just sprung on me, as though the matter warranted no more thought than a note at a meeting. I had no warning, no chance to discuss it,” she said.

“When did you find out?” Aurelia asked.

“Yesterday,” she replied. Cleo felt a pang of sympathy for her; she knew how she would feel if her father told her she had to marry Ezekyle! The thought sent a shudder through her. It wasn’t that she disliked the first captain, far from it but the thought of… she shook her head to dismiss the image.

“Have you spoken to him about it?” Aurelia said.

“He refused to see me,” Melita replied. Cleo could see her dull eyes were wet with unshed tears. Tears was not something she was used to dealing with, however she did have some tissues on her desk. These she handed to her cousin, who used them to wipe away the tears. She gave Cleo a small smile and nodded a thank you.

“We should speak to him, we can go with you if you like,” Aurelia said. Cleo wanted to shake her head at that, she found her uncle Mortarion a little strange and not all that pleasant to be around. It was the smell from the noxious fumes he always seemed to be breathing in. She knew he couldn’t help it but it turned her stomach none the less. She nodded anyway.

“Can we?” Melita asked, her voice small.

“Of course, we should go now,” Aurelia said. Cleo stood, all too ready to get the meeting over with; her cousin rose too and gave a firm nod.

“He’ll be angry,” she warned.

“Undoubtedly, but we will face that,” Aurelia said. There was a calm to her voice that was reassuring and Cleo risked a small smile. It seemed as though she was going to greet her uncle sooner than she had anticipated. She swallowed the distaste and walked to the door, leading the other two girls into the corridor of the Battle Barge.


	7. Chapter 7

When Cleo looked at her uncle, she was forced to repress a shudder. His skin could only be described as wizened in her eyes. Around his mouth it appeared to have been sucked in; it clung to his skull as though it were the thinnest veneer of paper. His eyes were cold chips of marble, glinting in the light as he regarded the three girls before him. The worst part about him however was the smell. Cleo reminded herself that it was not his fault; he came from a planet whose atmosphere consisted of noxious gases. She didn’t understand why he felt the need to have those gases replicated in his armour but she sure there was a really good reason for it.

At the moment, he was leaning on the large wooden table and regarding the three of them carefully. Aurelia had taken Melita’s hand in hers and it looked as though she was fighting back tears. Cleo wasn’t too sure where she fit in this idea, she wasn’t good with handling the emotions of others. She wanted to be of more help but just wasn’t too sure how to do so.

“What is the problem?” Mortarion asked. His voice was dry, husky almost, as though he had something stuck in the back of his throat. “Bite back the tears and speak,” he said addressing his daughter directly.

“It’s Garro,” she said, her voice was little more than a vapid whisper when she spoke. Mortarian’s eyes narrowed at that.

“What about him?” he said.

“I do not want to marry him,” she said.

He straightened upon hearing her words and folded his huge arms over his chest. Cleo felt the air cool around them, shifting her weight she let her eyes drop to the floor. “Nathaniel Garro is one of my best warriors, a Terran with a keen mind and an even temper. He can protect you, look after you and ensure your well looked after. What, in the name of the Emperor, could be wrong with him? You’ve known Garro for many years, what could be the problem?”

Melita shut her eyes and shook her head, “Garro is an honourable Astartes, I just… I don’t love him,” she said.

So, there was the crux of the matter! Cleo rolled her eyes a little at that. “What has love got to do with it?” Mortarion replied. He gave a sharp shake of his head, “Do you think I loved your mother when she was thrust upon me? We were joined regardless of my thoughts on the matter. Affection and love can come later,” he said. There was finality to his tone that brokered no argument; it was a tone she had heard her father use many times before. It was the voice of a primarch. There would be no arguing against him on this matter.

Aurelia opened her mouth to say something, however Mortarion cut her off with a swift wave of his hand, “I don’t know why my daughter has dragged you into this but your words will not change my mind, in this matter I am resolute; Melita will wed Garro and that is final,” he said. “I suggest you all leave here before I lose my temper,” he barked. Cleo knew a dismissal when she heard one and she turned to go. She knew the other two followed her and the door slammed behind them.

Cleo didn’t really know what to do now, it seemed as though her cousins wanted to speak further so she led them back to her rooms. When they arrived, she ensured her friends were comfortable. She could see Melita’s cheeks were wet with shed tears and she handed her a box of tissues, “What am I going to do?” she whispered.

“I have no idea,” Aurelia replied, “There must be something…” she said.

“Run away,” Cleo said a little sharply.

“What?” her cousins both answered at the same time. She turned to face them then and shook her head.

“If the thought of being united with Garro is too much for you to bear, then you should run,” she said, shaking her head again, “I don’t know Garro but it sounds as though he isn’t that bad,” she said. “There are far worse choices he could force upon you,” she added.

“I have known him since I was a small child; it would be like marrying my brother!” Melita said.

“How would you feel if your father said you had to marry Abaddon?” Aurelia snapped back.

Cleo snorted, “Despite the recent blip, we have a good relationship. It might not be my choice but it is not a bad one,” she said. She doubted that Ezekyle would be all that gentle with her but she would be well protected. He wasn’t a bad looking warrior, despite the ridiculous haircut and when she thought about it, he had dark soulful eyes – when they weren’t screwed up in anger of course.

“So, we should just accept that our choices are being made for us?” Melita asked.

“Maybe give it a chance before dismissing it out of hand?” she said shrugging her shoulders. “Is Garro really that bad?” she asked.

“Well…”

“Look, why not give him a chance? Aurelia said. Melita bit her lip and for a moment, Cleo thought she was going to have another tantrum about how unfair it was. She watched as the other girl swallowed and slowly nodded her head.

“Fine,” she said.

Cleo was about to say something when there was another knock at her door. She called for whoever it was to enter. A bald headed Astartes was at the door carrying what appeared to be a large stack of print outs with a data-slate on top of it. She recognised the warrior immediately and offered him a warm smile, “That time of day already Aximand?” she asked. He nodded and placed the paperwork on her desk. She gestured to the completed tasks and he picked them up.

“Same time tomorrow,” he said.

She nodded and the warrior left. Turning to her cousins she pressed her lips together, “I have to get this done,” she said, gesturing to the papers. Aurelia nodded and got up, Melita followed, “I’ll catch up with you later,” she said.

“Alright,” Melita said. The two of them left her then, shutting the door behind her with a soft thud. Cleo felt a wave of relief wash over her and she let out a breath. It wasn’t that she disliked her cousins, far from it; she just found them to be draining. Some time to think about something else would be more than welcome.

She turned her attention to the stack of papers that had been placed carefully on her desk and cleared her mind, there was a lot to go through and she didn’t want to disappoint her father by it being late. By the time she was done, she was exhausted. Between the training, the arguing with her cousins and the work, she had worn herself out. Without much further thought, she fell into bed and into a deep, dreamless sleep.

***

The following morning, Cleo woke up naturally. There was no banging on her door, no shouting at her and no cousins demanding entry. Her first thought was that she was late. She had an appointment with Loken and that was something she was very keen to keep. Sitting up with a jolt, she checked the clock only realise that she had an hour before she was due to partake her next training session with him. Letting out a breath, she sank back into the bed with a sigh.

The thought of meeting Loken again sent a shiver through her and brought a smile to her face. She had thoroughly enjoyed her session with him the previous day and he was turning into a much liked companion. He would never take the place of Hastur, no one would be able to do that but he did fill the gap he had left behind, only in a different way. She let her mind wander over the features of his face; the way that rare smile changed his eyes, how his large hands had gently corrected her stance. The thought of him doing so again made the hairs on her arms stand up. Smirking, she got up and decided that perhaps that train of thought was not best first thing in the morning. She wondered what he was thinking about. Likely polishing his bolt gun or something mundane, there was no way he would be thinking about her in such a capacity. She wondered what he looked like without the fatigues on and grinned to herself; no, he definitely would not be thinking along those lines! If Cassia saw her doing so she would instantly know something was going on, if only in her head.

Thinking about her cousin, she realised that she had left her with Ezekyle the day before and not seen her since. She didn’t really want to think about what they might have got up to. Part of her was pretty sure Abaddon wouldn’t do anything to harm her cousin; he never had to her, humiliate maybe but harm was a different matter. Pushing the thought to one side, Cleo rose from her bed and dressed quickly. She took a passing glance at the papers on her desk still and scooped them up – they were done and so she may as well deliver them back to her father while she was out and about.

It didn’t take that long to reach her father’s study and by the sound of it, he was alone. She tapped on the door before walking in. Her father looked up and a warm smile crept onto his face, “Good morning,” she said returning the smile. Placing the paperwork down in the allotted place, she then tugged out a chair and sat opposite her father.

“Good Morning,” he replied. “What’s gotten into you this morning?” he asked.

“Can I not just enjoy my father’s company for a while?” she replied raising an eyebrow. He lifted hers back at her and she shrugged.

“Well, how did your session go yesterday?” he asked. She knew her face lit up at the chance to talk about it, she just hoped her cheeks didn’t colour as well.

“It was tough,” she confessed, the smile not slipping from her face.

“You’re not sore today are you?” he asked. She shook her head, despite the length of the session, she felt no sign of wear in her arms or legs, “I’ll speak to Loken, tell him not to go so easy on you,” he warned. She felt her cheeks redden when her father mentioned Loken and she looked away, keen for him not to notice. He noticed. Before she could say anything both his eyebrows had raised and he was looking at her with a smirk tugging at his lips. “What’s all this?” he asked pointing at her face.

Of course, his words caused her to flush brighter and she shook her head. “There and I thought you wanted to enjoy my company for a while,” he said, mirth clear in his voice.

“He has been good to me, that’s all,” she said when she looked up once more. She heard the bit back laugh and he ran a hand over his head. Thankfully, he let the matter go and she managed to squash her flush.

“Have you seen Ezekyle?” he asked, changing the subject entirely.

“Not since he was flirting with Cassia yesterday,” she replied, her tone darkening. Her father’s eyes also narrowed a fraction and he nodded.

“Tell him I want to see him, I have a task for him,” he said. She nodded at that. “I’m not going to tell you what that is,” he added.

“I didn’t expect you to,” she said. She was about to say something else when the door opened. In stepped someone she had never seen before. He had words etched onto every scrap of his skin and a ruddy complexion. Horus’ face turned serious when he noticed who it was and she knew their time together was at an end for the time being. She rose from the chair but not before shooting her father a smile. He returned it and she quietly left the room. It was about time she headed off to the training area anyway, if Loken wasn’t there, she could practice what she had learned the previous day and besides, there would be company there too!


	8. Chapter 8

He had her panting and sweating within five minutes of being in the ring with her. Within ten, her vision was blurring and her limbs felt like lead. Raising her hand, she indicated that she needed a moment. Loken nodded and leaned against the side of the training cage while she sucked in large lungful’s of tepid air. When she felt she was able, she straightened up and she gave him a weak smile. “I’m not used to such physical exertion,” she said as she wiped the back of her hand over her forehead.

“You’ll get used to it,” Loken said. There were the traces of a smirk at the edge of his lips.

“I’ve never had to do so before, I’ve always had the likes of you to do this for me,” she retorted.

“You’re the one that wanted this remember,” he replied. She hefted the knife into her hand once again and nodded.

“I’ve not changed my mind if that’s what you mean,” she said.

“The thought never crossed my mind.” The sound of the door to the training room opening banged around the room and they both looked around to see who it was that disturbed them. The tall figure of Tarik, followed by Horus Aximand, greeted them. The two captains gave them a quick wave before heading to a cage of their own. Soon, the sound of fighting filled the air. It was more than a little tempting to stand and watched the two of them attacking the training servitors; however Loken called her attention back to the task at hand. “Shall we?” he asked. Cleo gave a nod and they began once more.

This time, when the sweat began to trickle into her eyes, she did not let up. The jabbing and quick reposts flowed through her far easier than they had the day before and she found that she was rather enjoying herself. By the time they were done, she had no idea how long they had been going at it. Her legs felt as though they had been replaced with lead weights however and her arms were not much better. Leaning her hand against Loken’s forearm, she offered him a warm smile, “Thank you,” she said, meaning every word. He nodded at her words, opened his mouth to say something when the door to the training room opened once again.

In stepped one of her father’s messengers, their eyes met after a moment and he approached her. There was a piece of parchment in his hand, which he handed to her with a respectful nod before withdrawing once more. She unfolded the piece of paper and quickly read the message, a smile spreading onto her lips as she did so. Loken didn’t ask her about it, instead he waited at the edge of the practice cage for her quietly.

“Father wants us all to join him in the observatory for dinner tonight,” she said. She watched amused as Loken rolled his eyes at the idea. “What?” she asked.

“It’s all so formal,” he said. She looked at him through lowered lashed for a moment, a little smirk beginning to play about her lips

“Have you ever been to one of these before?” she asked. He nodded a reply.

“I’ve been a Captain for a while.”

“Then I’ll look forward to your company later on,” she said with a wider grin. She ended the conversation with a pat of his large bicep before scooting out the cage. Her heart soared as she made her way through the corridors and back to her rooms, giddy at the prospect of spending the evening relaxing with him and her other friends too.

***

If she hadn’t seen it hundreds of times before, Cleo would have been impressed with how the Observation deck had been decorated. She walked in alongside her father, as they always did. He guided her lightly to her seat, kissed her on the forehead before leaving her to those at her table. Aurelia was sat next to Loken, along with Melita and a bald headed fellow too. Loken was already deep in conversation with the other warrior. She tucked her chair in and offered the others a warm smile.

Melita was the first to speak, her voice soft and rasping, as though she had spent the day sobbing once more, “Cleo, this is Nathaniel Garro,” she said softly. Cleo looked at the stern warrior and nodded. She knew instantly the implication of who he was but was unsure how to react to it. Should she congratulate them? She opted for a smile, that usually was the right thing to do.

“Pleasure to meet you Nathaniel,” she replied. The pale warrior inclined his head.

“Mistress,” he said.

“Cleo, please,” she replied. “I see you’ve already met the others,” she said.

“I have, Garviel and I have met before on occasion,” he said. Cleo looked from Nathaniel to Loken and back again.

“When?” she asked. Melita looked curiously at them all too and she knew Aurelia was always interested in a good story.

“Many years ago, on the battle field of Cyngan V, I think it was,” Nathaniel said. Loken agreed with a nod.

“About a hundred years ago now, before we were captains,” he said. Cleo stole a glance at her companion and found she approved of what he looked like. He was dressed simply, in the duty robes of the legion but it looked as though he had pulled a brush through his short blonde hair and he smelled sweet too. It sent a small thrill through her to know that he had made an effort to look decent – he scrubbed up well in her opinion.

“I remember the compliance there, nasty affair, nearly wiped out the whole planet before they came round,” Nathaniel said.

“That was the one with the sword wielding maniacs wasn’t it?”

“Maniacs?” Melita asked.

“They were ‘blessed’ by their ‘god’, or so they thought anyway. It kept them running at us long after they should have been dead. Turned out the incense they inhaled interacted with their minds, making them believe they were stronger than they were,” Nathaniel explained.

“How did you defeat them?” Aurelia asked.

“The same way we always do,” Loken replied. Cleo grinned at his reply, well able to picture how that fight ended. The fat they were still alive and now in orbit around a different planet entirely told her all she needed to know. The food arrived then and the conversation turned to menial things as they all ate well. While she ate, Cleo stole glances around the room at the others present. Her eyes caught her father’s, who gave her a warm smile. He seemed to be deep in conversation with Fulgrim over some matter. Then she noticed the absence of her cousin Cassia and Ezekyle. She nudged Loken with her elbow and indicated the gap where the two of them had been sitting a few moments before, “What?” he asked.

“Do you know if anything is going on between those two?” she asked.

He shook his head, his face blank, “What do you mean ‘going on’?”

Cleo realised then what she had asked and her cheeks coloured a little, “Never mind,” she muttered.

“She means that she thinks they’re having sex,” Melita said.

“Melita!” Aurelia said. A smirk grew on Loken’s face when he comprehended what she was on about and shrugged.

“So what if they are,” he said. Cleo felt the colour rising in her cheeks at the discussion; nothing she could do stopped it. “As long as they are enjoying one another, does it matter?” Her gaze dropped to her hands; Loken had a point, it didn’t really matter at all. It was none of her business if they were together or not.

“I suppose it doesn’t,” she muttered. She pressed her lips together, realising that she had taken Loken for Hastur, he would have responded in an entirely different manner. Cleo jumped when his cool hand touched her elbow and he leaned over to speak to her. His breath tickled her ear and a grin fought its way onto her face.

“I’m sorry if that embarrassed you,” he said, “Such was not my intent.” Cleo moved her hand to slip into his much larger one and gave it a light squeeze.

“It’s alright Loken,” she replied. She kept her hand in his, liking the way it felt there. He shifted a little, laced their fingers together instead of merely holding her hand, keeping it under the table where none of the others could see. The thought that they might be thinking the same as what she did about Ezekyle and Cassia crossed her mind. This time, she kept the blush from her cheeks.

“Where are the warriors from your legion Aurelia?” Nathaniel asked as he pushed his now empty plate to the side. Her fair haired cousin turned to Nathaniel with a warm smile.

“They are with my father currently in a nearby system. They left earlier this week but I opted to stay for a while, they won’t be gone overly long and I do enjoy being with my cousins,” she replied. “I have all my painting things here too so will be far from bored.”

Cleo had no idea that her cousin liked to paint. She had no talent for such things herself and seeing it in others always left her a little awed. “You’ll have to show me them,” she said. Aurelia nodded. She took a sip of the delicious wine they had been served; it was crisp and sweet and thoroughly complimented the meal they had just shared.

“Maybe I can show you how,” Aurelia replied.

“I’ve not the talent for it, I’d like to see them however,” she said.

The conversation then turned to more mundane things, mostly Loken and Nathaniel regaling them with stories about their deeds within the legions and the different worlds they had seen. The evening wore onwards and before she knew it, Cleo was yawning ready to retire. All the while, she had held onto the hand of Loken at her side, only now did she reluctantly let it go. He looked over at her curiously and she offered him a gentle smile, “I’m going to bed,” she said to the table.

“I think I will join you,” Loken said.

She raised an eyebrow at that remark, “Who said you were invited!” she replied before she knew what she was saying. Chuckles sounded from around the table.

“I didn’t mean-“

“I know Garviel, I am teasing you,” she said, “But I wouldn’t mind if you walked me back,” she said. He nodded. “I will catch up with you all soon, Nathaniel, it was a pleasure to meet you.” Garro rose and shook her hand warmly before bidding her goodnight. Her cousins gave their farewells before she extended her hand for Loken to take. She didn’t see the harm in them walking out hand in hand, it wasn’t a huge gesture and besides, everyone else’s attention was elsewhere anyway. He took her hand and they walked out the room together.

“They’re going to talk you know,” Loken said when they were half way down the corridor.

“Does it matter?” she asked. Cleo moved a step closer to the Captain, pulled his arm around her shoulder and wound her hand around his waist, resting it lightly on his hip. He was exceptionally warm to the touch and the scent he used swamped her.

“Not to me,” he said giving her shoulder a light squeeze. She leaned her head against him as they walked, trusting him to guide her to her rooms. She didn’t quite shut her eyes but it was tempting.

When they arrived at her doorway, it was far too soon. With as much hesitance as she could find, she disentangled herself from under his arm and stood in the doorway. Cleo didn’t quite know what to do with her arms so she let them hang limply at her sides. She did catch his storm-grey eyes and for a moment, was unable to tear her gaze from his. Her hand rubbed her bicep absently. “What is it?” he asked.

“I don’t want you to go,” she replied.

“I have to,” he said, “I have my duties to attend to.”

Cleo slipped both her hands back into his and tugged him a little nearer, “I know,” she said softly. Tip-toeing up, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, resisting the temptation to nuzzle into the crook of his neck. She appreciated the flush that crept onto his neck at the gesture and smiled. His skin was soft beneath her lips, she wondered what his mouth tasted like. Leaning back, she caught his eyes once more, “Thank you,” she said.

“I should go,” he said. He made no move to leave however. She gave both his hands a squeeze before reluctantly letting them drop.

“Go, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she whispered, her voice thick despite swallowing. He nodded.

“In the morning.”

“Bright and early,” she said. He gave her a warm smile then, hesitated for a fraction of a second before turning.

“I’ll see you then,” he said before striding off. Cleo watched him go. When he turned a corner, she finally headed into her room and shut the door behind her, a smile wide on her face.


End file.
